I freakin' loathe cigarettes, but I totally love this old Camel ad on the back of a Liberty magazine from 1933. And I also thought that it's been a while since I've blown anything up (remember how I used to do that?), so here we go, larger looks at "The Living Pearl" magic trick reveal so we can also get a good gander at that pretty pearl girl. I skipped the other magic trick at the end though.
Here is a naughty joke I had heard many years ago-
ReplyDeleteNine out of ten doctors who tried camels still prefer women.
I myself hate smoking, I lost three relatives to cancer caused by the devil weed.
Ha ha, these people are terrible. Come to their garden party where they will smile and be cheerfully rude about your interests or taste in smokes. Over in Marlboro Country that kind of behavior'll gitcha gunned down right quick. And you won't even have to dress up or play croquet.
ReplyDeleteAll of this attention to "real magic" in a comic format seems like yet another audacious scheme by the folks at R.J.R to target children. They were always pretty good at that. It strikes me as a misread of the typical American consumer's self image to assume that "milder" would be some sort of selling point. Mostly we hang around bragging at the strength of the thick black coffee we are willing to choke down, the three-digit IBUs of our IPAs, the skyrocketing Scoval intensity of the exotic peppers we crush into our salsa. Somehow it's hard to to imagine that many of us jumping at the chance to addict ourselves to some weak children's cigarettes.
I've missed these enlargements, by the way. Since I am so keenly into the mechanical aspects of four-color printing through the ages, these super closeups are extra educational. So thanks!
All this ad does is show that, once again, it's the women doing all the work, especially in magic.
ReplyDeleteThe magician? Just waves his stupid wand around and waxes his mustache. The woman has to pull up shade gauze, roll around in a giant fake calm, pull a bunch of strings, get all smashed up, etc.
OH-H-H Isn't she lovely! Hey, lady in the front, sit down and shut up!
Brian is sort of accurate, but that is like saying "All the actor does is say lines while everyone else does the work.
ReplyDeleteMagic is in the presentation. The "magician" is an actor playing a part. The Assistant is also part of the acting troop doing their part to make sure "the show must go on."
Good job here and thank you. If you come across any other Magic Ads please show them.